Washington State Scores Late To Down Villanova, 1-0, In NCAA First Round

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Washington State University redshirt-junior Mallory Fox's goal with 16 minutes left in regulation gave the Cougars a 1-0 victory over Villanova, Friday night at Ludwig Field in the NCAA Championship First Round.

Senior Maggie Dougher sent a ball into the box from the right side where senior Carly Dobratz headed it to Fox, who headed the ball off the hands of Wildcats' goalkeeper Molly Williams and over the goal line.

"I haven't scored in a really long time," Fox said. "It wasn't the way I imagined it, but it felt awesome. Our experience from last year definitely helped us. We were stronger and more confident. It was not a very pretty match, but we came out with the win and that is all that matters."

WSU (14-5-2) won for the third time this season when being outshot. Villanova (11-6-5) held a 16-9 advantage in shots, including 10-5 in the second half.

"We have always said the worst we can do when we play defense the way we are capable of is tie the game," Dougher said. "On the goal, I just put the ball high into the box and gave someone a chance."

With the victory, the Cougars advanced one step past last year when a 1-0 loss to Texas at Portland ended WSU's season in the NCAA First Round.

"It (moving to the second round) speaks to how far our program has come and where we continue to strive to get," WSU Head Coach Matt Potter said. "We have prided ourselves on being stingy defensively. It is fantastic for the entire team. We defend from the front to the back. We did not give them a lot of clean looks and we are delighted with another clean sheet."

Dobratz added, "Last year's experience was an awful feeling. This is amazing. We worked hard all year and being a senior, this means so much to me."

In the 86th minute, Villanova put together three-straight passes and Grace Hawkins blasted a shot from the top of the 18-yard box that was smothered by Cougar junior goalkeeper Meghan Berlingo.

With the victory, the Cougars advance to play Maryland, Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Pacific in the second round of the NCAA Championship.

WSU NOTESThe Cougars tied the school record for victories in a season with 14...WSU posted its 11th shutout, a school single-season record...Cougars advanced past the first round of the NCAA Championship for the second time in school history and the first since 1994...WSU improved to 3-0-0 all-time in the state of Maryland...Cougars are 12-5-3 on a neutral field under Matt Potter...WSU is 6-0-1 all-time against current members of the Big East Conference...Mallory Fox moved into a tie for seventh on the WSU all-time list for game-winning goals with five...Carly Dobratz moved into a tie for third place with Kiersten Dallstream on the WSU all-time assists list with 16...goalkeeper Meghan Berlingo tied WSU single-season records for wins (13) and shutouts (eight).